Business forms with removable pressure-sensitive labels are well-known in the art. One common form of manufacturing these labels involves applying adhesive to a paper web by the use of transfer tape. U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,573 discloses a business form with labels made from a paper ply and a piece of transfer tape.
It is also known in the art to apply adhesive directly to the paper web in the areas where the labels are outlined by attenuated lines, and to adhere the single coated release liner on these label spots. U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,559 discloses a form with labels wherein the adhesive is applied to the back of the sheet in the area of the label, and covered with a release liner.
The above methods of manufacturing forms each have their own inherent disadvantages.
Forms made with the use of transfer tape have a tendency to curl. Additional care is needed to flatten these forms. This care involves an extra step in the manufacturing process and added expense to the consumer. Transfer tape is an expensive material to use in production of removable labels on business forms. Transfer tape is expensive because it can have two sides coated with silicone or a removable silicone coated backing which becomes waste after the tape is applied. Transfer tape is usually purchased by a business form manufacturer from a transfer tape producer, and must be stored on the business form production premises until it is needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,559 applies pressure sensitive adhesive directly to the paper web and, in order to prevent excess adhesive from seeping out from between the web and the liner (which excess adhesive can gum up machinery during manufacture and printers during use), this structure significantly spaces the edge of the adhesive inwardly from the release liner edge. As a result, the edge of the liner of these forms can bend away from the paper, causing the business forms to jam in office equipment, thus reducing the utility of such business forms. The business form also can have an uneven consistency along the length of the document, which causes misfeeds and paper jams in office equipment. Another drawback to this method of construction is that the business form and the resulting label have a ragged look and less aesthetic appearance.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.